Have been trying to get a car on the road for over one year that I was told only needed a sensor. First mechanic tows it then goes out of business leaving car at an unknown shop. Find car months later and shop says they want $150 to tow somewhere else but could look at it and tell me what it needed. Well six more months $1,200.00 later and still no sensor replacement completed. New brakes, battery, lights, rotors, calipers, radiator (done elsewhere)and they want to replace all the engines hoses and lines no certain price. I goggle and find a local AAMCO that claims they can do the job easy have a specialist at their shop and the proper machinery. One month later they tell me they will not work on my car and to throw it away. Last mechanics said great engine just need to stop the acceleration problem. Where do I go now $2,500 invested already and no lump sum to buy another car. Been renting to keep my job.
First you bought a 16 year old car and took the sellers word that it only needed a sensor.If that’s all it needed the seller would have fixed it and kept it.Then you must have authorized $1200.00 dollars in repairs to a shop that didn’t fix the problem it was taken to them for first. You then decide to take it to a chain transmission shop with a less than stellar reputation and spend more money and you don’t tell us how many miles on the car, what kind of problem it had or what sensor you are talking about. The money you have spent is immaterial, it is already gone.The only thing to consider now is what will you have to spend to get it fixed compared to what is the car worth when done.
Seek out older and wiser friends to find a local independent shop with a good long term reputation, they exist all over Buffalo and the suburbs. I think this car is probably a dead loss for you but at least learn from your mistakes. Next time don’t buy a “great bargain”, buy a great car. The best used cars I ever bought were ones I paid above book value for. Spend a little money to get a mechanic check over a car before you buy it, your mechanic, not the sellers.
Thank you for your response!! However, not that quite naive! I bought it for a variety of reasons and really am only looking for a local mechanic who would consider working on the car after being told a couple days ago that the new mechanic who convinced me to take it to the AAMCO shop refused to work on it!! PS It does run. Never considered it a “great bargain” just not a person with financial options at this time due to chronic health issues that caused me to be out of work and unpaid for a lengthy time.
Rather than waste more money on unknown, and/or unqualified mechanics, you need a plan. It sounds like you are trying to get the job done “on the cheap” and that has lead you to mechanics that offer deals but aren’t very good.
New tactic option #1. Bite the bullet and take the car to an Accura dealer. They know the car, have the parts and can fix the problem. It will cost more, but you will finally have a working car.
Tactic option #2. Call local community colleges, vocational tech schools, and high schools and see if they need a car to work on. There is a teacher that can make sure the students diagnose and fix the problem. Labor is free, you’ll pay for parts. The downside is the car will be at the school for longer time before it is ready for you to drive home.
If you still want to find a cheap local mechanic, at least go to a decent shop that works on foreign cars, preferrably a Honda specialty shop. You can use the “mechanic finder” on the Car Talk site to start your search.
Trying to save money on this repair has costs you more money in the long run and you still don’t have a proper working car.
Thank you so much!! At first it was sorta on the cheap but now you are right. It is about finding the right mechanic to fix the car.